10 · 17 · 09

Vaho faces an audience

Clara Sánchez

Vaho tells the story of three adolescents, Andrés, José and Felipe, from Iztapalapa as they begin to face life. The memory of a man who was hung during their childhood unites and separates them at the same time. The film, seen mainly from a male point of view, shows the different worlds that coexist in this area of the city, in which social, political and even religious problems are interwoven.

After the screening, the director and cast received praise, expressions of appreciation and some critical remarks about their work which reflects a part of life in one of the most vulnerable sectors of Mexico City.

When asked about the film’s message, Gerber said, “It doesn’t have a message or a moral. Its intention is to show several stories, each one with its own development and different elements. They are about real people who want very simple things, but who make mistakes. I tried to give a realistic portrait of an area of the city that Mexican cinema rarely deals with or does so in another way.”
Gerber said the fact that none of the three characters live with both of their parents, “has to do with the modern family which is not the classic unit of mother, father and child.  But they are conditioned by other circumstances and processes, which puts them at a disadvantage. They don’t have a well-structured family nucleus. The values of family, education and community that give them identity are broken.”

About Iztapalapa…
Members of the audience asked the young actors how they perceived Iztapalapa and how the director became familiar enough with the community to be able to make the film.

“I didn’t know Iztapalapa, but imagined what it was like,” said Vania Yael Santiago, who was Abigail in the film. Joel Figueroa, who played José, said, “We filmed several hours there. It is like a small town with its good and bad things.” Luis Manuel Ontiveros, who was Andres in the film, added, “I agree with Joel. It’s true, it is dangerous, but there are also people there who are humble and who helped us. There were some people who wanted to be part of the film as we were shooting.” Oscar de Levi, who played Felipe, received an applause when he said, “In some houses we met all kinds of people, some were drug addicts, others shouted as we filmed, but, well, that is Iztapalapa.”

Gerber said he began to write the script when he was editing a documentary at the UAM Iztapalapa. “As I rode on public transportation I would get ideas and I became very interested in the place. I read a lot about it. I went to the representation (Passion of Christ) in Iztapalapa to take photos.  In the process of pre-production we walked around the area trying to find places, locations and learn about how people lived there.”

Facing the critics…
Asked if he was not worried about foreigners seeing such a crude and shameful reality, the director replied, “Closing your eyes to reality is the worst thing we can do. The least important thing is worrying about what people in other countries think. The most important thing is what we think about ourselves, how we function, discovering what our serious problems are. The idea of the title is to reflect on this vapor that blinds us, that keeps us from confronting ourselves, that keeps us from trying to see a part of ourselves in the other person. This country and city live with shameful prejudices and the only way to begin to eliminate them is by revealing them.”

Translated by Cindy Hawes